1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to protective devices for the outer surface of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a portable vehicle protection apparatus magnetically attachable to the sides and doors of a vehicle to prevent adjacent vehicles from damaging the vehicle when a door of the adjacent vehicle is opened.
2. Prior Art
Substantial damage to the sides and doors of the exterior of a vehicle can result from an adjacent vehicle parking too close when the doors are carelessly opened during egress or ingress. The doors of modem cars have grown larger and heavier and, as a result, the reach and the momentum of these doors can easily inflict several hundred dollars of damage to the side of an adjacent parked car when the edge of the door strikes thereagainst.
Automobile manufacturers have throughout the years taken limited action to design door guards which attempt to resolve this issue of side and door damage. However, typically the OEM door edge guards provided by the manufacturer are easily damaged themselves upon higher force impact and therefore only add to the costly repairs required when such damage is inflicted. Moreover, the edge contour of doors can result in impact misalignment because the manufacturers"" door guard is of insufficient thickness to prevent misaligned door edge contours of the adjacent vehicle from striking either above or below the placement of the decorative OEM door edge guard.
A number of prior art devices have been patented in an attempt to resolve this issue. The following are examples of those prior art efforts:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,205 to Bray
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,994 to Martin, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,763 to Klein
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,519 to Marshall
U.S. Pat. No. D437,810 to Runfola
U.S. Pat. No. D358,358 to Burroughs
U.S. Pat. No. D315,542 to Dalton, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. D308,593 to Bailey
U.S. Pat. No. D281,061 to Tortolani
U.S. Pat. No. D446,484 to Martel
Although magnet attachment of a side or door bumper guard is taught in one or more of the prior art devices, the present invention discloses additional improved structure including offset magnets from one bumper section to the next so that folding closure is facilitated for storage. A unique preferred cross sectional design provides multi-lobe configuration for gradual force dissipation, which will assist in better energy distribution and reduced likelihood of damage. Secure attachment of the magnetic flat panels against the inner surface of each of the elongated bumper sections prevents unintentional separation of the magnetic panels from the flexible bumper sections when the apparatus is stored within the vehicle during hot summer days when heat build-up can easily otherwise cause conventional adhesives to fail.
This invention is directed to a portable vehicle finish protection apparatus adapted for temporary magnetic installation on a vehicle when the vehicle is parked closely adjacent another vehicle and is therefore susceptible to exterior finish damage as a result of the edge of a door of the adjacent vehicle impacting against the side of the vehicle to be protected. The vehicle finish protection apparatus includes a unitary body formed of a relatively dense polyethylene closed cell foam material having first and second elongated bumper sections which are joined by a living hinge such that the first and second bumper sections are normally aligned in an operational configuration, but may be folded together at the hinge to effect a compact storage configuration. Each of the first and second bumper sections includes flat, flexible magnet panels distributed along its length to facilitate removably affixing the apparatus to the side of a vehicle by magnetic attraction.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a portable vehicle exterior finish protection apparatus with improved use and storage features.
It is another object of this invention to provide a portable vehicle exterior side protection apparatus magnetically attachable to the sides of the vehicle and providing more aerodynamic end configurations to reduce the likelihood of the apparatus being wind-stripped away should the apparatus be inadvertently left in place as the vehicle is driven away.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a portable vehicle exterior finish protection apparatus having substantially improved attaching means for the magnet panels which interconnect the device magnetically to the side of a vehicle.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.